Andrea's first murder was very emotional and impulsive.
In the house where he was raised, or rather, where he was bred as a slave, were full of children. It was as if they were herded and raised like pigs, with each room in the old and small two-story house filled with children.
All the children living in that house were boys. The strategy was to 'invest' time until they grew tall and muscular enough to become useful slaves. It wasn't that the slave master had any remaining conscience or moral principles that prevented him from taking in girls. They simply didn't wait for girls, as there were many horny bastards ready to pounce on any girl, regardless of how old or young she was.
The slave master referred to his house as an orphanage, and among the very young children, there were some who naively and foolishly believed they were living in an orphanage. Andrea was somewhat weak with such children – the kind, soft ones who ended up suffering the most.
The children had no names. Although some named each other or created names, most didn't bother with such pointless things. They roughly called each other based on physical features like hair or eye color. For example, Andrea was called "Eyes" because his pink eyes were creepy, and another kid was called "Button" because his nose was round like a button.
Button was one of the kids Andrea had a soft spot for. Every time he smiled, he looked like an incredibly foolish idiot. Andrea had even kindly advised him once, "If you keep laughing like that, you'll lose your teeth soon." But Button continued to smile like an idiot.
He couldn't remember if the slave master was in a bad mood that day or not. What mattered was that Button, out of habit, laughed while serving the slave master's dinner, and the slave master didn't like it.
Andrea was quite used to the loud noises in the restaurant The sound of plates breaking, chairs falling, and the sound of fists. All the children in the house, including Andrea, showed no reaction.
It was common for the slave master to lose their temper and it was common for them to become the target of their anger if they were lucky to be around them. Button and Andrea had experienced it many times before. Being beaten until they couldn't move and getting cursed until it was over. Andrea expected the same that day.
Still, that Button bastard was blind, so he was a bit uneasy. Thinking this, Andrea took a deep breath and opened the restaurant door. Button had been punched to some extent so he decided to let Button go and take the beating himself.
"Ah, Eyes, you came at the right time. Put this away."
At that moment, the slave master spat on the fallen Button's body. Button was dead. His once button-like nose was completely crushed, turning into a bloody mess, and one of Button's teeth had fallen off and was lying at Andrea's feet. Andrea thought calmly, "I knew it would come to this sooner or later. He wasn't particularly surprised or angry. This idiot was destined to die like this sooner or later."
He definitely thought so.
When Andrea came to his senses, he found himself smashing the slave master's head. Over and over again... with a chair, fists, whatever he could find – plates, forks, bottles. He mercilessly crushed the slave master's face. It was a brutal and messy murder, lacking skill or finesse. It was so cruel that if caught by the knights, he would have gone straight to death row.
But for the first time, Andrea felt a sense of liberation. It was similar to happiness. Happy taking someone's life.
Since joining the Cruel Guild, Andrea hadn't killed anyone emotionally again. He relaxed as little as possible, deliberately suppressing emotions, neither overly happy nor getting too sad. Lightly, everything was taken lightly.
The first time Andrea lost his mind after his first murder was because of Del. Looking back, it had always been that way. In the desert, when Del almost got hit by Fernando's blade, when Del went to the side of the Crown Prince when Del was harassed by the Second Prince...
And now, that Del had been captured and forced to give his body to Khan.
"I don't even know how I'll kill him."
Andrea swung his arm, and his sword flashed sharply as it grazed the Khan's chin. A thin wound appeared, and bright red blood oozed out.
"But I'll definitely kill you. That much I know."
Because it was related to Del.
Andrea lowered his body and rushed towards the Khan. The swords clashed again. The Khan easily parried Andrea's sword, stepped back, and adjusted his stance. He swung the greatsword effortlessly, as if rolling a pencil in his hand, and then, without getting tired, countered Andrea's incoming sword. With a quick move, he elbowed Andrea's ribcage and hit his collarbone.
"Ugh!"
As Andrea quickly bent down and dodged, Khan swung his sword on the floor as if trying to sweep it. A blue light swept across the ground like the blade of a hellish scythe. Andrea leaped agilely to avoid the Khan's sword.
Andrea kicked a small velvet stool nearby towards the Khan. He blocked it, and in the meantime, Andrea lunged forward, Khan dodged, and attempted an attack, but Andrea blocked it.
Countless exchanges happened in a split second. Khan cut Andrea's cheek, and Andrea cut Khan's forearm. Blood splattered on the carpet and walls. Khan's face turned red, and Andrea's breathing became noticeably rougher.
"Can't you all just stop!"
Hunter shouted, clenching his teeth.
It was undoubtedly an unprecedented level of strength. The problem was that it unfolded right in front of the naked and unconscious Del, and these two genuinely intended to kill each other.
Hunter had been trying to stop their duel, looking for a gap, but he couldn't dare to step in. He is a knight who trained and honed his skills every morning. Of course, the swordsmanship he learned to protect himself and the swordsmanship he acquired to kill monsters or people had to be different, but still, this was...
"The difference is too great."
Hunter chuckled self-deprecatingly. To stop them now, he had no choice but to use his status to suppress them.
And Andrea took advantage of Hunter's command. He came from a back alley where elegant duels with gloves thrown and formalities exchanged like noble gatherings never happened. Ambushes, preemptive strikes, terrain advantages, psychological warfare. Use whatever there was to win.
Andrea noticed a tiny gap when Hunter shouted, and the Khan reacted ever so slightly to those words. Andrea, holding his breath, thrust his sword into Khan's left side. Sensing the next move with animalistic instincts, Khan raised his sword to defend, but Andrea was a bit faster. The fabric tore, and flesh split as the blade cut through.
"Damn..."
Khan muttered softly, touching his side. Andrea didn't miss the chance and swung his sword high.
And how are you going to kill me? That arrogant question was about to be answered.
Even if it looked desperate, it didn't matter. If he could cling on tenaciously, bite dirty, and seize opportunities until the end, it would be enough to take his life, If only I can repay for tormenting Del.
Then it happened.
"Ugh..."
Del, lying unconscious on the bed, groaned involuntarily. At the same time, Andrea and Khan turned their heads towards Del. It was a brief distraction, but for someone, it became an opportunity.
Thunk.
"Alexis Duke!"
Hunter shouted in astonishment. At the edge of his vision, Khan, with excitement and pleasure in his gleaming eyes, was reaching out with a greatsword. And Khan's gaze was directed towards Andrea.
A foolish assassin bites his lip and looks at Del with a large sword stuck in his stomach.
Khan grinned, turning his hand and holding the sword to the right. The sword stuck in Andrea's stomach also turned to the right, cutting into his internal organs. Andrea's lips released a dark red blood between his lips.
Khan didn't take his eyes off Andrea for a second until Hunter ran up to him, snatched his sword, and pushed him back.
"Guild leader, if you pull the sword now, your internal organs might get more damaged, and the bleeding may worsen. Just stay still for a moment..."
However, before Hunter could finish speaking, Andrea grabbed the thick and wide blade of the greatsword with his bare hands and pulled it out. Despite the gruesome spray of blood from his abdomen, he didn't hesitate.
"If you continue to fight with that body, you will die."
Hunter calmly reminded him of reality and went to the door, pulling the bell rope.
"I've called for someone. Wait for a moment. And Duke Alexis, you will be charged with the crime of invading the Crown Princess's residence, kidnapping and imprisoning Prince Del, and... the crime of sexually torturing. You won't be able to escape the trial. Stay in the Capital until then."
However, neither Andrea nor Khan paid much attention to Hunter's words. Khan laughed scornfully at Hunter's words, while Andrea...
He slowly walked with his heavy, blood-soaked feet to the bed where Del lay. Then, he reached out with his messed-up hand and pulled the blanket over Del. Confirming that Del's naked body was covered by a blanket, Andrea sat down and reached for Del in his arms.
"Ha......"
As he let out a long breath, a blood-curdling growl came from the bottom of his throat. The familiar smell of death stung Andrea's nostrils sharply.
I have to kill the Duke. Andrea thought. Somehow, I have to kill him. But right now... If other people come and see Del's body, he might feel upset about it... Andrea fainted while thinking that.